By KEVIN EIS
cnsports@crescent-news.com
ANTWERP -- Dominant pitching can go a long way in the realm of high school softball when it comes to notches in the win column.
For the past four years, Antwerp's Bryn Schlatter has been just about as dominant as they come.
Now in the final season of her illustrious career in the circle for the Lady Archers, Schlatter has left her mark on the area to date with a pitching record of 66-13. Through 526 total innings of work, she has fanned 730 batters while holding a career ERA of just 0.77, earning her a laundry list of accolades throughout the years.
Last season alone, Schlatter was named first-team All-State, first-team Northwest District and first-team Green Meadows Conference while capturing her second consecutive Crescent-News Player of the Year award.
Before becoming a force to be reckoned with at the high school level, Schlatter discovered her calling as a youth under the watchful guidance of her father (Ben), who, according to the Antwerp hurler, was instrumental in her development.
"It was a lot of time spent together, about four hours a day everyday all summer long, just me and him yelling at each other," laughed Schlatter of her early days. "He worked nights, so he would work all night and then he would stay up with me and pitch and we just worked really hard for a lot of years together on it."
Although she is now coached by first-year Archers' mentor - and former Defiance skipper - Garry Rodenberger, Schlatter admits her father's influence is still present and appreciated to this day.
"He's still my coach," she insisted. "(He will) yell 'Hey Schlatter' into the dugout if I'm doing something wrong. He comes in and helps me (by saying) 'Keep your arm straight'. Then he'll go off and sit in the stands again, just helping me out in little ways still."
Having jumped straight to the varsity ranks as a freshman under former coach Bill Metz, the Antwerp right-hander wasted no time in proving herself worthy of her status. As her inaugural varsity season came to a close, Schlatter had amassed an amazing record of 18-3 with 175 strikeouts along with a blistering ERA of 0.52.
Not bad for a seasoned veteran, let alone a freshman.
It was statistics such as these which sparked Schlatter's reputation among area softball followers and added to Rodenberger's anticipation in taking on his new coaching duties at the helm of the Lady Archers.
While Schlatter was preoccupied with basketball when Rodenberger arrived on the scene, the Antwerp mentor remembers when he got the full commitment of his complete spring roster.
"When Bryn walked in, you could immediately see that leadership walked in," reflected Rodenberger, who has coached Antwerp to a 15-5 record so far this season with a GMC mark of 6-1. "The younger girls I was working with recognized her as being a leader on the team. She took charge, as well as the other seniors.
"From talking to people around the community, Bryn has kind of stimulated softball in this area," he continued. "She's been successful, younger girls want to be like Bryn. I was really impressed with her leadership and her modesty. She's just one of those kids who is humble every time."
When speaking with Schlatter, her good nature is apparent and her strong family ties obvious. To her, sports are a way to stay close to sisters Kole, who is a junior centerfielder for the Lady Archers, and Mickae, a member of the Antwerp track team. Along with her siblings, Schlatter's mother, Cindy, and grandmother, Peg Savage, rank high in her personal fan club.
"It's kind of a family thing," stated Schlatter. "My grandma's the original "super fan". She's at everything. She works here at the school so she gives me updates about the weather during the day. My sister, Kole, plays centerfield for us. My sister, Mickae, runs track but she is at every game she can be at and my mom and dad are both really involved in softball. They both played their whole lives, so it's a whole family thing for us."
On the field, Schlatter's biggest influences are her teammates, past and present, most notably fellow seniors Amanda Riebersal, Nit Major and Christy Kortokrax, who handles the catching duties behind Schlatter's powerful pitching arm.
"Christy, Amanda and I have been here since our freshman year," lauded Schlatter. "We have another senior, Nit, who really stepped up and played after her junior year. It's the first year she has ever played and now she has improved so much and is doing such a great job for us.
"It's just how we've all come together as a team and now we're an inspiration to little girls," she added. "It kind of makes my day how excited they get about it."
With such close-knit chemistry among his team, especially between his pitcher and catcher, Rodenberger takes pride in how studious Schlatter and Kortokrax have become when facing opposing batters.
"Bryn is a very intelligent pitcher," commented Rodenberger. "She recognizes every person she's ever faced. She recognizes the pitches she's thrown to them, she knows what they hit and she's able to recognize what they do in the box.
"I am very comfortable with her on the mound and I am also very comfortable with the catcher, Christy Kortokrax. They work really well together and they call all the pitches. Nothing comes from the bench ... I've called two pitches all year from the bench."
While recovering from wrist and hand surgery due to tendinitis and fractured bones in her pitching hand earlier in the year, Schlatter remains undaunted in her work ethic and steadfast in making all the hard work put in by herself and her teammates pay off as her final season as a Lady Archer comes to a close.
"All of our non-basketball players were in here in January doing conditioning and getting in shape," said Schlatter, who will attend the University Of Toledo next fall with no plans as of yet to continue her softball career. "(The rest of us) were in here the day after basketball was over with. In previous years, people didn't think we deserved (success) but this year we're excited because we feel we really do. We just want to go after it and get it this year because of how hard we've worked."
And what will be missed when Schlatter no longer takes the mound donning the blue-and-white?
"She will leave some pretty big shoes to fill, for one," admitted Rodenberger. "But again, I think she has spurred softball on in this area from her past performance and we have younger girls that are working hard and will be able to do the job.
"Will we see another Bryn Schlatter in the next couple of years? I don't know ... she's one of a kind and we are fortunate here to have a pitcher of her talent."